Reaction Essay 5

The Celluloid Closet

I found this documentary to be interesting. I did not know a lot about homosexuality in Hollywood and didn’t really pick up on its lack thereof. The only movie (that I can think of or have seen) is Rent that has both a gay and a lesbian couple. However; going along with the theme of being portrayed in a negative light, the gay couple are both HIV+. To counter act that or make it easier for the audience to deal with, the straight couples in the film are HIV+ as well; one even has the AIDS virus. Of course this play/movie was written in the 90’s and set in the 80’s during the AIDS epidemic in New York City.

Being in and around the Theatre since the sixth grade, a large population is either homosexual or a transvestite; in fact a few of my friends are. It has never bothered me, but the documentary pointed out how hard it is for them to find acceptance both in society and within themselves (which I found sad). I guess if you’re comfortable with who you are, the rest of the world should not matter.

It also made me laugh that Hollywood made a Production Code and censored themselves. I have a friend who is big on fighting censorship, but I always point out who does the censoring; the Catholic Church (not something I’m proud of as a Catholic) along with other religious groups (mostly Catholics though…) and the actual producers/writers themselves.